How Much Weight Do You Lose During Sleep?

It would be surprising for many of us to realise that we weigh the lightest in the morning. And did we think sleeping helps us gain weight! Several studies have confirmed weight loss during sleep but if you must see for yourself, weigh yourself before you go to sleep and compare it with your weight in the morning.

How Much Weight Do We Lose While Sleeping?

A study at the Universidad Federal Sao Paolo assessed 14 healthy men who were confined to a bed with a built-in scale for 16 hours. The subjects didn't urinate or defecate during the assessment period and were found to have lost 2 pounds (1.9 grams per minute) over eight hours of sleep for a week. Moreover, men lost 0.6 g per minute even when they were resting awake in bed.

Unlike what is commonly presumed, researchers at the University of Chicago and Stanford University have linked sleep deprivation to increase in weight. The first study examined levels of leptin and ghrelin in 12 healthy men along with their appetite levels. It was found that while sleep deprivation triggered weight gain, normal sleep pattern ensured that weight of subjects remained same.

How Do We Lose Weight While Sleeping?

Respiration Weight Loss: The weight we lose during sleep is water weight that disappears through respiration and perspiration. One regains the lost weight during the day after drinking water. One’s lungs require moisture to carry out bodily functions, so the air you exhale which contains water causes weight loss.

Perspiration Weight Loss: An average person loses 1.0 to 1.5 lbs. of water by sweating when asleep at night. If your bedroom is warm or you’ve thick layer/s of blankets above your body, you might lose much more sweat and weight while sleeping.

Sleep Metabolism: Calories are burned while sleeping to sustain functions of various organs such as the heart, lungs, brain and other organs. When you are asleep, the heart rate and respiration decrease and digestion slows. A study published in the Metabolism journal suggests that a normal woman burns about 512 calories while sleeping and a man burns about 736 calories in a week’s sleep (8 hours sleep everyday). The average basal metabolic rate (BMR) for women was found to be around 80 calories per hour while BMR for men was 115 calories per hour. On the basis of findings on sleep metabolism, an average woman loses 1 pound of weight during the week when asleep while a man loses a pound every five days.

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